Château Moulin Saint-Georges 2020

The 2020 Moulin St Georges is more marked by its élevage than its brilliant 2019 predecessor (a wine I purchased for my own cellar). Offering up aromas of plums, cherries and spices mingled with prominent notes of coconut and vanilla pod, it's medium to full-bodied, bright and racy, reflecting its west-facing limestone terroir, concluding with a saline, somewhat oak-inflected finish that is likely to become better integrated with a bit of bottle age.

So full of deeply drawn berry fruit, fresh and juicy with touches of liquorice bud and rosemary, thirst-quenching and yet thirst-inducing in that amazing way that limestone can both refresh and make you thirst for more at the same time. An excellent Moulin St Georges, and such a step up from the more sandy soils that you find at Fonbel and the two Simard estates in this year's range of Vauthier-owned wines that this alone can help you understand how to navigate 2020.

Cherries, flowers, espresso, forest leaf and plums create the perfume. Medium-bodied, soft, lifted, fresh and silky, there is a nice touch of salinity, chocolate and mint in the finish that accompanies all the elegant, bright, red fruits. Drink from 2025-2045.

Gorgeous black and blue fruits, graphite, tobacco, and violet notes emerge from the 2020 Château Moulin Saint Georges, a rich, full-bodied, beautifully balanced blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. It’s one of the standouts in the lineup, and while I’d happily drink a bottle today, it’s going to benefit from just 2–4 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.

What amazing texture, creamy and yet tight, with waves of violet and peony aromatics, smoked sandalwood, incense, raspberry fruit, flaky pastry, damson fruits, vanilla bean and espresso, gripping with fine salt-tinged tannins. A touch more Merlot than usual in the blend, because the Cabernet Franc had more trouble in the heat. pH 3.5. 100% new oak, an upscore from En Primeur, but I loved it then also; this is just the most wonderful estate, with clay-dominant soils that go down around 1.5 m before hitting the limestone bedrock.

The 2020 Moulin Saint-Georges, a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. Black raspberries, fresh blackberries, and chocolate-covered cherries jump from the glass, followed by suggestions of cedar chest, cardamom, camphor, and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is so elegantly crafted, with beautifully rounded tannins and seamless freshness supporting the earth-laced black fruits, finishing long and minerally.

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Covering 7 hectares, the Moulin Saint-Georges vineyard lies on a west-facing limestone hillside at the southern entrance to Saint-Emilion. The average vine age is 33 years. The limestone advantage is evident in 2020, given the warm climate. The chalky character is omnipresent, lending the wine a lively edge with even saline nuances on the finish. The tannins are still a touch angular, which is a good sign here, as it matches the acid structure. A truly beautiful wine!

This firmly structured wine with powerful tannins is set against the blackberry fruits and acidity. It is a powerful wine, full of richness and potential. Drink from 2026.